Saturday's Painting Trip: Lachine Canal and St. Lawrence River

 Saturday was a delightful day, just below freezing and full sun with just a gentle (but bitterly cold) breeze. The Canal path is not plowed all the way so there were very few people here I didn't see soul for 45 minutes. With all the adjustments the winter painting is starting to work out, I pre-soaked the paper for up to 20 minutes the night before so it was just the right amount of absorption. This is the train bridge that I painted in the summer, from a distance and looking west down the canal. The canal was mostly frozen here, it had long blue-violet shadows from the trees, and a dark olive-navy of the water underneath the thin ice.The bike path is on the left in front of the fence, completely snow covered.

Lachine Canal Frozen with Train Bridge 5 x 7.5"cold press, watercolour, January 2021

 

 Unsure about how far I could walk in my new boots, I forged ahead to the beginnings of the Lachine open air Museum, which is basically a narrow outcrop of land that housed a number of sculptures and art installations. This scene is sitting at the very beginnings of the park, looking across the St. Lawrence river with a majestic tree leaning over the water. A constant slurry of ice chunks was coming down the river which I captures with a range of white and yellow-greens. Some snow prints including foot prints, and what looks like paw prints of a mouse could be seen. 

St. Lawrence River Ice Flow with Leaning Tree 5 x 7.5" cold press, watercolour, January 2021

 

Three paintings was my goal, so on the way back I sat on this scene, which is the bridge from Ville St. Pierre across the canal onto St. Patrick Street. I am looking at a partially frozen canal with the sun directly behind me, casting the shadows of several trees, and myself, onto the near snowbank. I also got the toe of my right boot in the scene. You can see from the shadow I am sitting down with the painting, and my right arm and head. The boots have kept my feet really really warm, in fact, too warm! We just need winter to start now. 

Lachine Canal Bridge from Ville St. Pierre, 5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, January 2021